Five Lessons for Hillary Clinton From Andrew Cuomo's Primary Scare

September 10, 2014

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who not so long ago was being touted seriously as a 2016 presidential prospect (by your humble correspondent, among others) had a bit of a fright in yesterday’s Democratic primary. He got only 62 percent of the vote against Zephyr Teachout, a late-entering challenger who spent one-fortieth as much for her votes as he did, and lost whole swaths of the state to her by wide margins (Columbia County, adjacent to my home county in Western Massachusetts, gave Teachout a whopping 78 percent of its vote. She also won easily in Albany County, where Cuomo now spends most of his time.)

The primary was a dismally low-turnout affair, but you can be sure that it was attracting interest from at least one denizen of the state: Hillary Clinton of Chappaqua. Clinton, whose husband has been Cuomo’s boss and role model, surely gleaned some lessons in Cuomo’s brush with embarrassment on his left flank. Granted, these lessons may not hold much relevance for Clinton if she does not face a serious challenge from the left in 2016. Still, for now, here are some of the warnings—Teachout’s Teachings?—she ought to take from yesterday:

4. Don’t belittle your opposition, however minor. Cuomo’s approach to dealing with the Teachout challenge was to refuse to even acknowledge it. He declined to debate her, ignored her when she tried to say hello to him, and refused even to give her his phone number so that she could call to concede on Tuesday night. In hindsight, this boorish behavior seems to have been a mistake: It won her sympathy with voters and, yes, with the press. Already, the Clinton camp has been sending out signals that for another Democrat to run in 2016—even as a respectful sparring partner—would be a grave affront. This approach only seems likely to elevate whichever brave soul does decide to step into the ring.

5. Liberals are a restive bunch these days. Who knows what’s behind it: disappointment with Barack Obama, fury with congressional Republicans, dismay about soaring inequality. Regardless, liberals seem to be in a trouble-making mood. You could see it in their rejection of Christine Quinn, the establishment favorite to succeed Mike Bloomberg in New York; you can see it in the troubles that Rahm Emanuel is having in Chicago. Right now, there’s no one openly serious about appealing to that squirrely-ness in 2016 other than grumpy Bernie Sanders. But if someone else comes along … you just never know.